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London Ranked As The Best Student City In The World

May 14, 2018

The QS higher education group have once again published their top 30 rankings for student cities, and this time London has been ranked as the current best city, for university students.

All the ratings are based on various key factors, such as how many top universities the individual city has, its local jobs market, the quality of life living there, the diversity of culture, and its average academic performance.

These factors combined with a survey of 50,000 students, are all taken into account when quantifying some of the attractions and disadvantages of each city. The capital didn’t manage to rank so well for affordability, however London has proven to be hugely popular, beating its previous ranking of third place behind Montreal and Paris last year.

Student Capital of Culture

So despite London’s high cost of living and affordability putting a strain on many student budgets, the city managed to tick a number of other beneficial boxes to secure its top ranking.

It achieved a high rating for being a very international city, boasting high levels of cultural diversity, making many overseas students feel welcomed instead of isolated or excluded.

The fact that the city is home to more world-class institutions than in any other, such as the University College London, King’s College, and the London School of Economics – also helped it to secure the top spot. The rich cultural experience is further enhanced with a wide variety of museums, restaurants, theatres, and cinemas

How Did Other Cities Fair?

Tokyo in Japan, managed to snag second place in the rankings, with it’s consistently high score when it comes to professional and internship opportunities. The city is considered to be one of the most varied and cosmopolitan living environments on the planet.

Third place went to the city known as Australia’s cultural capital, Melbourne. Thanks to having a highly attractive reputation as a must-go destination for international students, and boasting one of the most diverse student communities in the world – the city retained the best ranking in terms of overall student mix.

Paris fell to fifth, after being the top rated student city for several years. And despite coming in thirteenth, Toronto in Canada was rated the highest for desirability.

Surprisingly, there were no US cities in the top ten, and only two in the top thirty – despite US universities, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, usually dominating the academic World University Rankings.

The Welcoming Feel

The QS group revealed that the top factors which influenced overseas students to select certain cities, were the quality of teaching, and whether the locations were seen as “welcoming.”

London’s recent success in the rankings is likely to encourage more positivity from international students, who no doubt feared that things like Brexit could make UK universities more expensive, and feel less welcoming to students from EU countries.

Being named world’s best student city has proven that the UK capital continues to welcome international students from all around the globe, with the number of overseas students in London increasing exponentially in the last 5 years.

If you’re an international student looking to study in the UK, or you simply want to find out more about studying in London – contact us at IEC Abroad to learn more. Our study abroad specialists can help you find the perfect university for you.